As I prepared for
ALPA's annual Air Safety Forum, I found myself reflecting on the
birth of our union. The pilots who founded ALPA sought to address life-and-death
issues the only way they could, by binding themselves together to improve a
dangerous profession. They knew that only by working together could they take on
the problems of "pilot pushing" and the growing number of accidents. They
recognized that the solution could be found in a structure and a unified voice.
They knew what we know: Safety is a labor issue.

Now, some 73 years later, ALPA’s Air Safety Structure is among the crown
jewels of our Association for two powerful reasons: our unparalleled technical
expertise and our collective political might. We learned long ago that knowing
the truth is not enough; we must use the truth to transform reality.

The success of ALPA’s Air Safety Structure starts with our relationship with
other airline industry and government stakeholders and our safety initiatives
themselves. When ALPA was formed, for example, pilots and management had an "us"
versus "them" mentality. But over time, especially when we made clear that we
would never wave the safety flag over purely industrial issues, management and
pilots were able to work together on safety issues. ALPA also built strong
relationships with manufacturers, with Douglas Aircraft Company in 1948 and
later with Boeing, Airbus, and others. The proof of progress came in 1995, when
ALPA shared the prestigious Collier Trophy for participating on the B-777 design
team.

ALPA’s success also stems from our initiatives to resolve safety issues
before an accident occurs. Our mission is to save lives, not just to figure
out why lives were lost, because pilots have a personal interest, as other
interest groups do not. While doctors would never operate on themselves, pilots
take the same risks as their passengers.

Our reputation as the foremost aviation safety organization may have grown
from the credibility we’ve gained through our technical expertise, but it has
flourished because of our advocacy. ALPA not only engineered safety solutions,
we pressed industry, government agencies, Congress, Parliament, and the White
House to make those solutions the standard. The result: during the past seven
decades, the airline accident rate per year has plummeted.

Now, we must look to the future. First, we must make aviation security an
equal partner with aviation safety. Security must drive aircraft design and be
built into services, products, and programs, not as an afterthought, but as a
guiding principle.

Another fundamental component of future aviation safety will be funding the
existing commitment to modernize the National Airspace System, which we thought
we had already secured. In 2000, when AIR 21 was passed, the Aviation Trust Fund
had $30 billion, which could pay for necessary changes to safely increase U.S.
air traffic flow.

But 9/11 changed that. The Trust Fund assets and the political will to
implement National Airspace System Modernization (NASMOD) evaporated. Security
necessarily became paramount. Now, the number of flights is growing and the
number of passengers is climbing, but ticket prices are dropping. As a result,
less money is flowing into the Trust Fund. Even as our carriers are under
intensifying pressure to make money, we are experiencing increased delays,
capacity problems, a stressed ATC system, and traffic volume that is rising to
pre-9/11 levels in several locations.

Each of us must make clear to politicians and to the public that the airline
industry fuels economic growth and that its financial viability is a direct
result of safety. Even now, the industry’s contribution to the U.S. gross
domestic product is $900 billion per year, a full 9 percent. More than 11
million U.S. jobs, or 7 percent, are tied to aviation. Anything that jeopardizes
safety will threaten this economic impact. Once again, the truth is not enough.
The truth is that NASMOD is needed now. To make NASMOD a reality will require
good science, solid planning, adequate resources, and above all, political will.

As we tackle future threats to aviation safety and security, we will need to
exert greater energy, hone our arguments, and display even stronger political
will. Our motto, "Schedule with Safety," will never be replaced. ALPA’s role in
making that motto a reality will remain our fixed objective, always.